Justice League #36 Review

Writer: Christopher Priest / Artist: Pete Woods / DC Comics

“Who Watches the Watchmen?” is the perfect phrase to sum up this issue, but that expression already belongs to another popular DC property. How about “The Sokovia Accords”? Oh, wait. No. That’s not even a DC property. Oops.

What I’m trying to say in a cooler, more trademarked way is that the people are collectin’ receipts on the team, and there ain’t a damn thing they can do about it. In the wake of the world finding out about the JL’s shortcomings, the group is left to grapple with how to navigate an earth that holds them accountable. But now on top of that, there’s a killer on the lose that looks like Batman. And he’s… helping the JL?! Gasp!

This series has more pressure applied to its characters than a prepubescent pimple.

What makes this issue such a compelling read is the rotation of differing perspectives on display. You might side with a particular person, but you can’t fully shun the other because you understand their motivations. Bruce all of a sudden wants to play it by the rules, to show the public that they aren’t the monsters that they’re being made out to be, and to get their minds off of the killer Batman. Aquaman and Wonder Woman are feeling powerless as if their titles as King and Goddess mean nothing in this world anymore. And the innocent bystanders are finally catching up and realizing that maybe the Justice League isn’t all good, and if you step back and look at some of their methods, you kinda can’t blame them.

The floor plans are looking great this issue

Save for the action sequences, this issue really brings us some restrictive panel layouts. It’s a good structural way to parlay some of the conflict of story onto the reader to make it more immersive. Since Priest and Woods took over, the JL has been full of smiles. Whether they were going up against terrorists or a giant alien roach monster, they had something to smile about. But not now. Everyone is feeling the weight of the world on their shoulders.

This was a solid issue that doubled down on the conflict and even added a new layer. The League is bickering with each other and the world doesn’t want their help anymore. They’ve hit rock bottom. Which means next issue is the start of the rise. With this killer on the lose, maybe they’ll finally have something to punch.

Morgan Hampton is a writer--OH MY GOD I CAN ACTUALLY SAY THAT NOW. *ahem* Excuse me, sorry for that outburst. As I was saying, Morgan Hampton is a writer currently living in San Francisco with an obsession for all things nerd (except Medieval stuff. Get outta here with that mess), and a passion to represent the underrepresented. He's an aspiring comic book writer so catch him in the funny pages some time before the apocalypse. He holds a B.A. in Creative Writing from SFSU so he's broke.